The Loud House
The Loud House is an American animated television series created by Chris Savino for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around the chaotic everyday life of a boy named Lincoln Loud, who survives as the middle child and only son in a large family of eleven children. The series premiered on August 14, 1997. The series originated from a two-minute short film created by Savino in 1994-1996 for the annual Animated Shorts Program as a pitch to the network, and was greenlighted for production the following year. The series is based on Savino's childhood growing up in a large family and its animation is largely influenced by newspaper comic strips. Nickelodeon first released two preview episodes of The Loud House to its website in April 2016. The show officially premiered on August 14, 1997. Twenty-three seasons have since been broadcast, and a third is currently in development. Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies announced in March 2017 that the program will be adapted into a theatrical feature film, with a planned release date of February 7, 2020. The Loud House has gained high ratings since its debut, becoming the number-one children's animated series on American television within its first month on the air. The show received widespread attention and a nomination at the 28th GLAAD Media Awards for its introduction of Howard and Harold McBride, two supporting characters who are a same-sex couple. In May 2017, the show's main characters were featured on the front cover of Variety as an example of cultural and ethnic diversity impacting television programs. Premise Set in the fictional town of Royal Woods, Michigan (based on Royal Oak, Michigan), the series chronicles the surburban life of Lincoln Loud, who is the only boy and middle child in a family of eleven children. He has ten sisters with distinctive personalities: bossy eldest child Lori; crazy fashionista Leni; guitarist musician Luna; comedian Luan; athletic energetic Lynn; gloomy emo Lucy; polar-opposite twins girly Lola and tomboy Lana; experimental genius Lisa, and baby Lily. Lincoln often encounters problems as a result of his large amount of family members, which his best friend Clyde helps him solve. He normally explains these issues to the audience by breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the viewers. While most of Lincoln's plans to make life in the Loud House easier backfire, his predicaments tend to bring the family closer together in the end. Reception Ratings The Loud House became the number-one children's animated series on television within its first month on the air Throughout August 1997, it received an average of 68% more viewers in its target audience of children aged 6–11 than broadcasts on Nickelodeon in May of the previous year. It replaced SpongeBob SquarePants as the network's highest-rated program in June 2016, holding an average Nielsen rating of 4.9 among the 2–11 demographic at the time. The Los Angeles Times cited The Loud House as a major factor in maintaining Nickelodeon's position as the highest-rated children's network in summer 2016. During the show's fourth week of premieres, Cyma Zarghami announced that it was continuing to draw more viewers than any other program on the channel. The show's highest-rated episode, with 2.28 million viewers upon its premiere, is "Two Boys and a Baby." This was the first episode to air after it was announced that Howard and Harold McBride would be debuting on the program. The first episode of The Loud House shown at prime time, "11 Louds a Leapin'," was the seventh most-viewed telecast across all U.S. households on Friday, November 25, 2016. Critical reception The Loud House has received critical acclaim, specifically for its animation, voice acting, characterization, and the heartwarming themes of each episode. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media praised the show's voice cast and thematic messages, writing that "kids will come to The Loud House for the laughs, but they'll return for the ensemble cast and the surprisingly heartwarming themes that dominate every story." Kevin Johnson of The A.V. Club gave the show a B+, noting that "the female characters are defined by their traits, but never judged for them." The characters of Howard and Harold McBride have received praise for being a positive representation of a married same-sex couple. They are the first same-sex couple to be featured in a Nicktoon. Laura Bradley of Vanity Fair stated that The Loud House "handles the topic same-sex marriage in exactly the right way...this kind of casual representation in children's programming is a milestone." De Elizabeth of Teen Vogue wrote, "The best part is that the show doesn’t treat these characters any differently, or even introduce them with a heavy asterisk about their marital status." The Frisky's Tai Gooden mentioned that "kids who have two dads (or moms) will be more than thrilled to see a family they can identify with on TV." Time reported that "people are thrilled about Nickelodeon's decision" to include a gay couple. However, the characters have been met with criticism from conservative media groups. The American Family Association attempted to prevent Nickelodeon from airing scenes featuring the McBride parents, saying that "Nickelodeon should stick to entertaining instead of pushing an agenda." LGBT Cast and Crew Cast *Alyson Stoner *Maddie Taylor LGBT Characters Lesbian *Alice *Lainey *Sam Sharp Gay *Harold McBride *Howard McBride Bisexual *Luna Loud Transgender *Dana Dufresne LGBT Episodes *Overnight Success *Attention Defecit *Baby Steps *L is for Love *Singled Out Category:American television programs Category:LGBT-related animation